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Writing Competitions, Awards, Grants and Scholarships

These are not sponsored or endorsed by Columbia Law School. Please check this website often for updates. For additional information, stop by our Student Services reception desk.

Jameson Crane III Disability and the Law Writing Competition Deadline: January 15, 2015The competition is open to currently enrolled law students, medical students, and doctoral candidates in related fields who attend an accredited graduate program of study in the United States. Submitted papers may be on any topic relating to disability law, including legal issues arising with respect to employment, government services and programs, public accommodations, education, higher education, housing, and health care.

The winner of the competition will receive a $1,500 cash prize and the Thomas Jefferson Law Review (TJLR) will consider the paper for publication under the TJLR’s editorial standards. Two second place winners will each receive a $1,000 cash prize.

All submissions must be submitted electronically to: cranewritingcompetition@tjsl.edu. All entries must be received by midnight, Pacific Standard Time, January 15, 2015. Winning submissions will be announced by April 15, 2015.

This competition is open to all law students in good standing and attending an ABA-accredited law school during 2014. Students may submit articles on a wide array of topics related to construction law. Articles should reflect the style of articles published in either the forum’s The Construction Lawyer magazine or the Under Construction newsletter.

The forum has presented these awards annually since 2010. Senior ABA Forum on Construction Law members will judge the submissions, which will be selected based on creativity, clarity and precision of writing, strength of argument, novelty and timeliness of subject, and quality of research. Winners will receive $2,000, travel expenses and registration for the forum’s 2015 Annual Meeting, plaque, a one-year membership in the forum and recognition in the forum’s newsletter, Under Construction and on the website; in addition to the opportunity to be published in one of the forum’s two publications, Under Construction or The Construction Lawyer. Other finalists will be recognized with a plaque and in forum publications. Winners will be announced and notified in March. Forum Chair Steven Lesser will present the awards at its 2015 Annual Meeting, April 16-18 in Boca Raton, Fla.

Pacific Legal Foundation—Law Student Writing Competition DEADLINE: January 16, 2015 Pacific Legal Foundation's Program for Judicial Awareness promotes the publication of works of legal academic scholarship that advance an understanding of key constitutional issues before the nation's courts. Essays submitted to the writing competition address one of three questions on areas of the law within PLF's mission, incorporating pertinent case law and applicable academic literature. The Law Student Writing Competition awards up to $6,000 in three cash prizes for publishable essays by students currently enrolled in law school in the United States. In addition to the grand prize, the top winner will be presented with an award at the annual PLF gala event. And competition winners will work with our staff to have their winning entries published in a law review. Please visit www.pacificlegal.org/pja/writingcomp for essay topics and rules.

2014-2015 Louis Jackson National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law Co-sponsored by Jackson Lewis LLP and IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, the Institute for Law and the Workplace Deadline: January, 20, 2015Judges will consider papers on any topic relating to the law governing the workplace, such as employment law, labor law, employee benefits, or employment discrimination.

Entries must be the law student author’s own work and must not be submitted for publication elsewhere. Authors must have completed or be currently taking course work in employment or labor law, and must be enrolled in an accredited law school during the Fall 2014 semester. Only the first two submissions per law school will be accepted as entries for consideration.

One top honors award of $3,000 and two $1,000

Awards will be presented to the top three entries. In addition to the cash awards, the top three entries will be published on the Institute for Law and the Workplace website.

Entries should be mailed to:

Louis Jackson Writing Competitionc/o Institute for Law and the WorkplaceChicago-Kent College of LawIllinois Institute of Technology565 West Adams StreetChicago, IL 60661-3691

17th Health Law Writing Competition Deadline: January 25, 2015This competition is designed to encourage the preparation of scholarly papers on currect topics on interest relating to health law. Papers may address any traditional area of the law as applied to health care (e.g., antitrust, tax, corporate) or areas of law unique to health care (e.g., fraud and abuse, managed care, Medicare/Medicaid, clinical trials). Entries in the top 20 percent will be considered for publication in the Annals of Health Law, which is published by the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

American Indian Law Review writing Competition Deadline: January 30, 2015Papers will be accepted on any issue concerning American Indian law or indigenous peoples. However, topics recently published in the American Indian Law Review will not be favored.

First place winner receives $1,000 and publication in the American Indian Law Review, an official periodical of the University of Oklahoma College of Law with international distribution. The second place winner receives $500, and third place receives $250.

Email submissions are preferred, hardcopies are acceptable. Email to the American Law Review at mwaters@ou.edu by the competition deadline. Send hardcopies to AILR Writing Competition, American Law Review, 300 Timberdell Road, Norman, OK 73019. Please send an email to mwaters@ou.edu on or before the deadline to notify the AILR that you are sending a hardcopy submission.

Animal Law Writing Contest Deadline: February 15, 2015The American Veterinary Medical Association, American Kennel Club, Cat Fanciers' Association and Animal Health Institute offer law students an opportunity to engage in a scholarly discussion and debate of legal issues related to animals and animal law. Visit official contest page for details. https://www.avma.org/Advocacy/StateAndLocal/Pages/Animal-Law-School-Cont...

The grand prize winner receives a $2500 cash prize plus round-trip airfare, one night accommodation and ground transportation to the American Veterinary Medical Law Association's annual meeting in Boston, MA in July 2015. Visit avma.org/LawSchoolContest for official contest details.

The Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section Presents The 2014-2015 LOUIS TERTOCHA FASHION LAW WRITING COMPETITION Deadline: March 23, 2015The Fashion Law Writing Competition is open to students in good standing in an ABA-approved law school during the Fall 2014 through Spring 2015 terms. Essays must discuss a legal issue in the Fashion Industry. For example, without limitation, intellectualproperty, technology, communication, contracts, employment law and international trade issues are included in this description, provided such legal issues relate to or affect the fashion industry.

The essay must be the unique creation of the student and may not contain the work of classmates or editors. Students may submit papers previously created for law school academic credit, journals, or other publications.

2015 Judge Bernard S. Meyer Scholarship Deadline: Monday, April 6, 2015The New York Bar Foundation is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for the 2015 Judge Bernard S. Meyer Scholarship. Established in 2004 by the law firm, Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., the scholarship will be awarded to a law school student who excels in legal writing and advocacy skills. Previous winners of this scholarship have gone on to hold positions at law firms such as Cravath and Cadwalader, and as in-house counsel at organizations including Cancer Genetics, Inc. and NY Arc. An essay that displays excellence in legal writing and advocacy skills must be submitted for consideration of this scholarship.

Grammy FoundationThe scholarships are a joint effort of the GRAMMY Foundation and the ABA Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industries intended to provide law students with opportunities in the field of entertainment law. Questions? Email loren.fishbein@grammy.com. Grand prize winner receives $5,000 scholarship and four $1,5000 scholarships.

The Theodore Tannenwald, Jr. Foundation for Excellence in Tax Scholarship, Inc. Deadline: July 1, 2015Named for the late Tax Court Judge Theodore Tannewald, Jr., and designed to perpetuate his dedication to legal scholarship of the highest quality, the Tannenwald Writing Competition is open to all law school students. Papers on any federal or state tax-related topic may be submitted in accordance with the Competition Rules (viewable at www.tannenwald.org).